Karl: Shrews will be difficult to beat

Manager Karl Robinson knows that his MK Dons side will face a tough test when Shrewsbury visit stadiummk on Saturday, but is confident they will take all three points.

Following last weekend’s thrilling draw against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup, the Dons return to League action against a Shropshire outfit they have only beaten just twice in nine meetings.

Robinson, though, is confident his side will keep up their recent good form and can continue their climb up the Sky Bet league 1 table. The 33-year-old told the media: “I went to watch Shrewsbury on Tuesday and in the second-half they dominated the game. I left when it was 1-0 to Leyton Orient with about eight minutes to go and at that moment in time I thought they were the dominant team.

“They can compete and they will be difficult to beat. They are a bit of our bogey team to some extent, but we got a good draw up there at the beginning of the season and I’m hoping to use this game this weekend as a momentum push.

“If we can perform like we did against Wigan from now until the end of the season we won’t be far off the playoffs.”

With the departure of Patrick Bamford last week following the end of his loan spell, Robinson will be hoping his new strike force can continue the 20-year-old’s goalscoring form as the Dons look to rise to close the gap on the top six with another three points.

Robinson confirmed on Friday that new loan signing striker Chris Long, 18, will make his debut in the clash on Saturday and is excited about seeing how the youngster will develop.

He added: “(Chris) will start. He’s very different to Patrick but he’s someone that the recruitment department have seen and watched, someone that I’ve known of and someone that the FA speaks very highly of.

“He’s probably the quickest striker we’ve ever had, inclusive of Sam; he’s very, very quick, he knows where the goal is, he stretches the game and he’s exciting. He can also play as a seven, a nine or a ten so he gives us added depth and style to our play.”